Are gift cards a good way to increase your property’s reviews and ratings? Find out how.
October 2025 | PerfectGift Experts | 5 minute read
Main image courtesy of Rockwell Institute.
The job of a property manager is a busy one, as they act as the broker between the owner of the property and the tenants. They have a lot of responsibility on their plate, and oftentimes you’ll find that they wear many hats throughout the day-to-day operation of managing one or multiple properties. Property managers are responsible for ensuring that the vacant properties are advertised, collect rent, screen tenants, and handle maintenance and repair requests. And in order to maximize profit and ROI, they need to ensure their occupancy rates are high. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure they increase the amount of online reviews and ratings of properties, and the best way to incentivize this is with gift cards. But how? Let’s dive in.
In this article we’ll be discussing:
- Why reviews are so important to property managers
- How can property managers can use gift cards to boost online reviews and ratings
- Why property managers choose PerfectGift Corporate
Why are online reviews and ratings important to property managers?
Without reviews, many tenants won’t consider renting a property
Online reviews and ratings have a significant impact on the reputation of a rental property, and can influence whether a potential tenant will consider seeing it. Image courtesy of Realtor.com.
In the past, most property managers relied on word of mouth to help fill their vacancies. However in the digital age, listings are online, and most future tenants want to read reviews from tenants regarding what the property is actually like. As many as 91% of consumers read reviews before purchasing an item online, so why should properties be any different? Reviews and ratings are incredibly important to property managers because not only can they have an influence on how the property is perceived, but it can directly affect their net profit based on whether or not the reviews are mostly good or poor.
Ratings and reviews from tenants matter to property managers because:
- They offer transparency and accountability. Tenants did not used to have anywhere to voice their legitimate complaints about issues they may have encountered with a rental property. This allowed landlords and property managers to get away with bad customer service and not following through with necessary repairs to the rental unit. Renters would just have to wait until the lease ended and then leave. Now, however, online review forums, specifically like Yelp and Google, give tenants the ability to voice what they did and didn’t like about their experience. This has a major influence on the reputation of the property. Ratings and reviews can help increase transparency as to what the property is actually like, while at the same time holding property managers accountable if they want to see the property leased.
- Helps with pricing strategies. Online review forums are a great place for tenants to express exactly what they did and did not like about their rental experience. This can help property managers determine the appropriate price for the unit. When they know what renters actually value and want in a rental property experience, it ensures the monthly rental price is the right amount to offer the highest return on investment (ROI).
- Increases visibility of properties. Ratings and discussions about certain properties are also some of the best ways to increase the visibility of units, especially if there are multiple rentals available at one property. If potential tenants are searching for specific amenities or a certain location, and your properties keep coming up, they may be more likely to consider them. This kind of “free” marketing is a great way to get empty units in front of future renters.
- Influencing decision making. Perhaps most importantly, the online reputation and reviews of properties can have an impact on whether or not a tenant decides to go with one property over the other. If there are consistently poor reviews and no response from the property managers, this is a red flag for potential renters that it’s not worth their time to consider a unit when a property manager can’t even respond to a negative comment. There are a lot of rental properties out there, and they can easily choose to go elsewhere.
How can property managers use gift cards to boost online reviews and ratings?
Utilize gift cards to ensure your tenants leave reviews!
Incentive programs like offering gift cards for reviews and ratings of a property is a great way to help fill rental vacancies. Image courtesy of Morris Invest.
While they may not have any say in the type of review a former tenant leaves, property managers can respond to negative reviews by offering ways in which they may have assisted in reconciling the tenant’s grievances. This is one of the best ways to mitigate poor reviews, by acknowledging them and showing ways service can improve. While negative reviews are inevitable for all properties, why not try to get your properties reviewed by current tenants who may be having a wonderful experience?
And the best way to incentivize tenants to do this? With gift cards of course!
Encourages tenants to leave a review
If you want your properties to stand out from the sea of others available, you’ll want to contact current tenants to leave a review. Offering them a gift card to do just that is a great way to enhance the property’s online reputation. Most of the time when things are going well, people tend to not leave reviews for a product or service. It’s only when they have a bad experience are they more likely to vent online about it. The same is true for properties. That’s why having a dedicated strategy to encourage rental tenants to leave a review about what they’re liking about being at the property and some of their favorite amenities is the way to go.
Gift cards are a very tangible way to encourage tenants to do that. Instead of something abstract like a one-time rental incentive, a gift card is something they can hold in their hand, or have immediately available in their inbox.
Good ratings can bolster occupancy
One of the biggest jobs that a property manager has is to fill the vacant units with tenants. When they’re listing properties online, it helps to have a good number of reviews that can speak to actual tenants’ experience with the property. When potential renters see that something is available, the next thing they may do is to google the address or the property company to see reviews. Having mostly good reviews—and if there are negative ones, a response from the property manager—is a great way to increase the chance that they’ll want to see that particular unit.
People put a lot of emphasis on reviews of properties and the general experiences of tenants. When your properties consistently have good reviews and receive high ratings from current tenants, it could encourage the potential renter to take the first step and request a showing. The more renters that want to see the unit, the greater the chance the property will get occupied.
Satisfied tenants are more likely to renew
When tenants have the opportunity to write a review and receive a gift card, it shows that the property manager values their input and wants to make sure they have the best possible experience while living there. This kind of attention to detail goes a long way when they are considering whether they want to renew their lease, or move out. You want to encourage your good tenants to stay. After all, tenant turnover can cost property managers anywhere from $1,000-$5,000 each time. Gift cards are a great way to show your appreciation for your current tenants, and encourage them to renew their lease.
- Pro tip: Use the gift cards you give to tenants to encourage their review as a way to market your property management company at the same time! PerfectGift Corporate allows businesses to create a gift card that includes their logo on a prepaid Master Card or Visa.
Other ways property managers can use gift cards to their benefit
In addition to using gift cards to boost reviews, property managers should also be taking advantage of this strategy because it:
- Boosts referrals. Another great tool to have in your marketing strategy is to encourage current residents to refer your properties to friends, family, and co-workers. You can advertise that they’ll receive a gift card in a certain dollar amount for every successful referral that fills out an application, or actually moves forward with the move.
- Rewards timely payments. A great way to get tenants’ rent payments in on time is to start an incentive program that involves getting a gift card for ‘X’ amount of on time or early rent payments. Tenants will have to pay the rent anyway, so why not get rewarded for doing so on time with a Visa or Master Card gift card?
- Enhances the welcome experience of new tenants. Moving into a new place can be stressful, and new tenants might not be familiar with the area or with their neighbors. Make them feel more comfortable in their choice of rental properties by including a gift card with their move in package. It doesn’t have to be for a large amount, and they’re definitely going to remember the gesture of welcome—especially when it comes time to leave a review or renew their lease!
- Encourages current tenants to renew their lease. It’s not only stressful to move, but it can be a large hassle as well—for both tenants and property managers. Encourage your tenants to stay where they are by offering gift cards for those who choose to renew their lease. It’s a win-win situation since the property manager reduces tenant turnover, and the renters get to stay in a place that they already are familiar with and comfortable with.
Why property managers choose PerfectGift Corporate
PerfectGift Corporate makes it easy for property managers to incentivize tenants
PerfectGift Corporate makes it so easy to use gift cards to help boost your property’s online reviews. But how does it work?
- Determine whether you want to send a physical or digital gift card
- Choose the amount you want to place on the gift card
- Then use your customized logo, or go with one of our preset designs
- The cards are printed and shipped the same day (or sent out digitally)
- The recipient can then use the card like a regular Visa or Master Card, or add it to their Apple or Google wallet
The perks of going with PerfectGift Corporate for property management:
- Our own fulfillment center which allows us to print and ship customized cards same day with next day delivery available!
- Google and apple wallet compatible for convenience.
- No order limits – no minimum & no maximum number of gifts or purchase value.
- Dedicated account manager with 365-day support.
- Robust branding with logos on physical & digital cards and packaging so you can easily add your property management logo.
- Access to hundreds of major merchant gift cards with everyday discounts.
- International acceptance of VISA & Mastercard
- Multiple VISA & Mastercard card expiration periods of 6, 12, 24 and 36 months (funds never expire)
- Robust ordering portal (optional API) with full order history so you can track how many gift cards have been sent.
- The portal can help you resend, replace, reissue & refund gift cards.
- Online access to complete order history including all invoices, order dates, and gift redemption date. This can help you track which incentive programs are really resonating with tenants.
Will you leverage the power of gift cards to help boost your property’s online reviews and ratings?
Gift cards are the modern way to ensure your property is getting not only the reviews it deserves, but also increased visibility. The more people that see your property and the stellar reviews associated with it, the more likely they are to consider renting from your property management company. PerfectGift Corporate makes it easy to offer gift card incentives to tenants, whether you decide to use a physical gift card, or a digital one.
